“A powerful and very fruitful day. On Sunday August 20, Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the decision of Denmark and the Netherlands to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. An additional and logical step, after the announcement in July of these same countries to train Ukrainian pilots on the aircraft of American origin. The Ukrainian president spoke of 61 aircraft: 19 from Denmark, 42 ??from the Netherlands – a number not confirmed by the Dutch prime minister.
A multirole combat aircraft (fighter, bomber, reconnaissance), the F-16 was produced in more than 4,000 copies by General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin). Enough to have a large number of spare parts. The F-16 can also fire a wide variety of missiles and bombs, giving Kyiv an extra edge against Moscow’s armed forces.
“This is an important technological leap for Ukrainians,” points out Jean-Christophe Noël, associate researcher at the French Institute for International Relations (Ifri). A technological leap, certainly, but which cannot be achieved in a day. “To master the plane, the tactics, the procedures, they’re going to have to rehearse their ranges,” notes the former Air Force officer, who recalls that it takes four years to train a young pilot on F -16. “It is possible that Ukrainian pilots have already been trained discreetly,” says Léo Péria-Peigné, researcher in capability forecasting and conventional armament at Ifri.
Praised for its versatility, the F-16 could perform all kinds of missions, “unlike the Ukrainian Air Force’s Mig-29s and Sukhoi SU-27s, which were originally intended for aerial combat”, explains Jean-Christophe Noel. “The F-16 can cover entire regions, protect the country’s infrastructure or perform missile or drone interceptions,” Léo Péria-Peigné lists. Its true vocation will undoubtedly be turned towards the offensive, with the target of the Russian armed forces. Like the Himars multiple rocket launchers, the F-16s could strike deep into Russian posture – command centers, ammunition depots, troop concentration areas.
“The version of the F-16 transferred by the Netherlands can fire Air-Air missiles with a range of 150 km, this will force the Russians to retreat their air force and in particular the bombers”, insists Xavier Tytelman. Another advantage is the aircraft’s ability to carry hovering guided bombs weighing around 110 kg. “These are Small-Diameter Bombs (SDBs), which the Ukrainians will be able to fire at munitions dumps that have already been identified, but which were too small to send a cruise missile like the Storm shadow there. In addition to weaponry, it can carry different pods, giving it additional capabilities in electronic warfare, intelligence, or ground moving target targeting.
